Mk7 Golf R Discussion Thread

[jacs]

Ive turned the soundactor down to 60% via VCDs. Drone not an issue at all now.

[AdamD]

Not sure, it's a low hum/drone at lower rpm. pixelbend on the link says he got it fixed by a software update

If it's a software update, then it's the Soundaktor. The exhaust mechanism itself is not software-actuated.

Speak to your dealer and ask them to disable the soundaktor on the R before you take it for another test drive. Their workshop will be able to do that in minutes. The dealer demo Golf R I drove had it disabled anyway, as the salesman knew his potential customers didn't want to hear it!

[GoGTI]

Now I'm confused. Some say they unplugged the soundaktor and drone gone. Some say they unplugged the soundaktor and still hear a drone.

[Able20]

GoGTI, you're the reason I joint VWWatercooled yesterday, because I went through the same dilemma you are currently going through right now. I had to speak up so you don't make the same mistake I did. As per my New Dubber post (Interesting Journey), I can tell you that if you're in two minds, just go for the Golf R. Trust me on that.

I know the exhaust drone/noise seems like a big issue at this point, but it can be drastically reduced as explained by the other posts above. It will never be as quiet as the GTI Performance, but not far from it. BUT the massive increase of 'useable' performance of the Golf R will make you forget about everything else and put a smile on your face, daily.

Good luck.

[GoGTI]

GoGTI, you're the reason I joint VWWatercooled yesterday, because I went through the same dilemma you are currently going through right now. I had to speak up so you don't make the same mistake I did. As per my New Dubber post (Interesting Journey), I can tell you that if you're in two minds, just go for the Golf R. Trust me on that.

I know the exhaust drone/noise seems like a big issue at this point, but it can be drastically reduced as explained by the other posts above. It will never be as quiet as the GTI Performance, but not far from it. BUT the massive increase of 'useable' performance of the Golf R will make you forget about everything else and put a smile on your face, daily.

Good luck.

Thanks for the input! It's a tough one for me as I'd be more than happy with both cars. I'm thinking of just pocketing the 10K difference and stick with the GTI although its a an extra month wait

What made you ditch your GTI pp for the R? Was it just the raw performance gain?

[Mayhem]

Has anybody had the Flow Design front splitter installed on the Mk7 Golf R? Would appreciate some help if you have done this? I prefer not to remove the front bumper.

[Mayhem]

Now I'm confused. Some say they unplugged the soundaktor and drone gone. Some say they unplugged the soundaktor and still hear a drone.

If you unplug the Soundactor then you will hear the ring a ding ding ding wastegate/turbo rattle. You will still hear it with Soundactor on 100% but it's a lot less noticeable. IMO the rattle is more annoying then any fake sounds.

[Able20]

Thanks for the input! It's a tough one for me as I'd be more than happy with both cars. I'm thinking of just pocketing the 10K difference and stick with the GTI although its a an extra month wait

What made you ditch your GTI pp for the R? Was it just the raw performance gain?

The reason I went for the GTI pp over the standard GTI was purely for the limited slip diff and bigger brakes. The xenons and 19" rims sealed the deal.
The idea was that in the future I would get the APR chip to give it some added performance. Having now lived with it a couple of months, I realised that, though better than non-lsd models, it still struggles to put the power down. Even at this early stage, taking it easy to run it in, I still have problems with traction.
Don't get me wrong, GTI pp is a brilliant car and a massive upgrade from my previous GTI (MkVI). It is so much smoother, quieter and above all very refined. Even with 19" wheels, the ride is brilliant. In comfort mode, it's no different to my wife's 103TSI.
Before ordering the Golf R, I put it through various test to just see the difference. The performance of the R is sensational straight out of the box. The lack of histrionics from the tyres is amazing. I certainly feels more planted, in the dry or wet.
Even though the R is shorter geared at 45km/hr per 1000 RPM as opposed to the GTI pp at 53km/hr per 1000 RPM, the engine noise difference at highway speeds is minimal. The overbearing noise of both is tyre roar.
Observed fuel economy on the highway (110km/hr on cruise control) the R sat on 6.5ltr/100kms and the GTI pp was 6.2ltr/100kms. This surprised me, as I thought the difference would be greater with the increased revs in the R. Who knows, maybe the R at that speed is in the engine's sweet spot.
The biggest reason for me though was that if in the future I still want to chip it for more performance, the AWD hardware of the R is ready to put it to the ground easily.
The above are my reasons, but everyone has different parameters which makes the world interesting. If I wasn't concerned about upgrading the performance in the future, I wouldn't have gone through this expensive lesson. My bad.
The way MY16 upgrades have panned out, you might conclude that the GTI pp is certainly worth the extra $3k over the standard GTI. Though the standard GTI has Xenons and push-button start now thrown in.
Alternatively, if you're still interested in the R and want to make the change-over not as painful, and you don't mind forsaking the new media system, then MY15 R could be the go. As the dealers still have a few MY15 on hand, you should be in a great position to crunch a good deal. I should be getting my MY16 in under three weeks and I can bet the dealers would not want both year models sitting side by side. Be aware that apart from the media upgrade, the MY16 R has leather as standard.
Good luck with it and see how you go. Whatever you decide, make sure you don't regret your choice.

[sergioscirocco]

Golf R vs Audi RS3 nice and honest review

[mattaus]

Golf R vs Audi RS3 nice and honest review

Came here to post this. Interesting result. Definitely paying more coin for the badge in this case, though if you were into tuning I imagine the RS3 would have a lot more headroom.